


Green- The Color Of My Love's Sin

by Natsumiya_Teirin



Series: Green [1]
Category: End Roll (Video Game)
Genre: Dale is Mr. Seager, Everyone has a bit of a Russell complex, F/F, F/M, M/M, Many years post-canon, Mikkoku has a Russell complex, Mikkoku is Informant - Freeform, Mr. Seager starts off as a drunk ass but he gets better, Mrs. Seager is a femdom, Multi, Redemption, Reincarnation, Russell has a family in an orphanage, Russell is a precious and confused cinammon roll, Tabitha is Mrs. Seager
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2017-10-19
Updated: 2018-10-05
Packaged: 2019-01-19 13:27:39
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, Major Character Death
Chapters: 8
Words: 7,278
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12411174
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Natsumiya_Teirin/pseuds/Natsumiya_Teirin
Summary: Russell's parents are given a second chance at life to make up for their bad parenting, but it's kinda hard when everyone remembers them at least a little bit, and don't want them to be even a bit involved in Russell's new life.Russell wants answers and literally everyone else wants to avenge him.This...probably won't end too well.....Oh dear.





	1. The Boy With Poisonous Eyes

Dale and Tabitha Seager were not overly religious people. They believed in a god who would forgive their numerous crimes as long as they repented at the end, and they used Christianity as an excuse to judge those they disliked, but that was the extent of it. Neither of them honored the scripture, filled as they were with lust and hedonism. 

They believed there was a heaven, where Tabitha would have eternal pleasure and Dale would have Yumi's heart, and a hell where their ungrateful traitorous spawn would undoubtedly go, right along with Tabitha's too-good-to-not-be-a-closet-bitch sister Samantha. 

Neither of them believed in purgatory or Limbo, and yet, if someone had asked Tabitha what she thought such a thing would be like, this, where she and her despicable bastard of a husband were standing side by side, was exactly the kind of answer she would’ve given. 

An endless white room eerily reminiscent of a hospital waiting room, with rows upon rows upon rows of plastic chairs, and a grey carpeted aisle splitting them in half. There was also a desk, manned by a shadowy figure, though Tabitha couldn’t quite make out its features. 

There was a crackle of static, and Dale looked up from his stupor- was he honestly _still_ in shock? Fucking idiot- to an intercom Tabitha was sure wasn’t there before. 

"Tabi......Da....Seag....please come to....desk to re....ive.....signments. Please come to....desk...Tabi..a...Dale....eager." 

Putting up a haughty front, Tabitha marched to the front desk, dragging Dale with her by his meaty wrist. And then, as she came to a stop, that hastily erected mask dropped as quickly as it came. 

She recognized that short blond hair and that condescending smirk. How could she not, when those were her genetic gifts to her son? 

And yet, no matter how much this person at the desk resembled _that boy_ , he didn’t have his deep blue eyes- those endless blue jewels that were, in hindsight, the only thing she'd loved about him. 

No. Instead, this boy's eyes were a bright green- like emeralds where Russell's eyes were like auqamarine, or zircon. These eyes were eyes of poison- of bitterness and jealousy and vengeance and second chances and new life. 

The poisonous boy hummed, and retained his condescending expression, and for the first time since she could remember, Tabitha felt afraid. Dale was silent, because of course he was- the damn coward. 

"Dale Seager and Tabitha Seager neè Dreemeer..." the stranger began, "I've been waiting quite some time to deal with you two, you know." He laughed, and it sent chills down Tabitha's spine. Dale clenched his free hand into a fist, the other still held tightly in Tabitha's deceptively strong grip. 

"But first...I know all about you two, but you don't even know my name!" He laughed again, "And no, it's not Russell, no matter how much I look like him- oh, but don't misunderstand that- I _am_ Russell, but I'm also a separate entity from him. He called me his Informant, but I'm not here to give information now. I'm here to transfer you both to your new lives. So, at least for today, I am...Mikkoku- the transfer of information. Now then," he reached down into a drawer and pulled out two thick manila folders- one for each of them. 

He opened the first one and scanned over the first page before abruptly shutting it and sliding it towards Dale. 

"Mr. Seager- your file is awfully thick. If you were anyone else, I'd be impressed. But you're Russell's father, so I'm more disgusted, really." He didn’t sound disgusted at all, though. "Because your crimes are much more numerous and horrific than your wife's, we'll start with your sentence first."

Tabitha tuned this part out. She couldn’t care less about what fate that man got. 

Abruptly, he disappeared from her side in a flash of light, leaving her to face the poison boy- Mikkoku- alone. 

His smile towards her softened a little bit, but it was still unsettling. 

Mikkoku hummed again.

"I wonder if I should've told dad about this...oh well. Too late, I guess."

He shrugged his shoulders, then waved his hands in a 'what can you do' sort of way. 

"What...what are you talking about?" She asked, trying to keep her voice from trembling. 

"I shouldn’t expect you to know," he said with a sigh, then continued as if nothing had happened, "Well, here it is." He took a breath and slowly exhaled. 

"After Russell murdered you, he turned himself in and plead guilty, earning himself a spot on death row. However, _dear auntie_ Sammy was in charge of developing a drug that, if successful, would erase any potential for future murderers to kill, by forcing them to feel guilty. Perhaps it was nihilism, or maybe it was the weight of his crimes, but whatever the case, Russell was forced to participate in the Happy Dream experiment."

He paused, perhaps to give her a chance to ask questions, but Tabitha was speechless, so he continued:

"The experiment was successful, and because of that, Russell's sentence was cleared and he should've been released back into the world. However, during the experiment itself, there were...unexpected characters- small slivers of souls from the people he killed somehow wormed their way into the dream, and, in their sentience, merged with Russell's subconscious memories of them and treated him as they genuinely would have had he not killed them. Russell's guilt skyrocketed, and after he woke from the Happy Dream- on the seventh day of treatment- he committed suicide. It was a genius method, too- stabbed himself to death with the empty medicine syringe! I wouldn’t have thought they could even be used like that, but then...anything can become a weapon if used in a certain way, right?"

Mikkoku ended his rant with a deceptively innocent, close-eyed grin, and then quickly returned his face to the condescending and arrogant expression it held before. 

"Maybe it would've worked on you, too, had you ended up on death row. Because at the very end of that dream, a sliver of _your_ soul was discovered, as well, alongside your husband's.  Like his, it became an especially strong and dangerous monster, however, even that monster cared for Russell in some small way. After all, it gave him a motherly embrace, which he'd been deprived of fo so long, even though that embrace was ultimately meant to trap him in his delusions." 

"Ah...I...I see..." Tabitha said after a moment of processing this, "but then...what will happen to me, now?"

Mikkoku laughed again. 

"It should be obvious. You'll go back and make up for your shitty parenting. Though, not by _actual_ parenting- we all know how well _that_ turned out. Your husband physically abused Russell and drove him away, so in this new life, he'll keep Russell close to him, guarding him like a dragon would guard its hoard. You neglected Russell in favor of sex- _seriously_ , neglecting your kid for the adult pasttime _known_ for resulting in kids? Ahem," he cleared his throat, "You neglected Russell for pleasures of the flesh, so in this new life, he will be your only pleasure- not in a sexual sense, because he's never cared about that- but in an emotional, platonic sense. You will make sure that no matter what, he is happy and emotionally sound." 

Hearing this, Tabitha almost cursed her luck. Sex was the only thing she was good at- she merely acted on her physical desires. She wasn't an emotional person.

"But...but what if I...what if I fail?"

"If you fail, then you'll fade out of existence. Simple as that. Same if you refuse this chance at redemption. You'll disappear, and because I know just how long I can hold a grudge, it will _undoubtedly_ hurt- even worse than when Russell murdered you." 

Put that way, it really wasn’t a hard decision. 

"Alright- send me back, then." 

Mikkoku's face bloomed into a Cheshire grin.

"Alright then. Close your eyes. And 1...2-"

* * *

Fourteen year old Tabitha Dreamer woke up from a peculiar dream, and looked around the overly bright walls of the orphanage. Her gaze landed on the calendar Mr. Dogma had reluctantly helped her pin up, and locked onto a square circled with a red marker. 

Mr. Saxon said there would be a new child coming in today. 


	2. A Brief History Of Dreams

_"Mom? Why was I born?"_

_"If you didn’t love me, you could've at least killed me while I was still a baby."_

* * *

Happy Dream Orphanage was founded by Samantha Dreemeer in 1999, after the only successful experiment in a certain drug she'd developed resulted in her nephew's suicide. She'd converted her large research lab and its adjoining holding cells into an orphanage after realizing that since she could not force charged murderers to change and go out into society, she'd be better off preventing children from ever becoming murderers in the first place. 

The renovations were a success, and save for the room in the basement where Russell had killed himself, kept as a tribute to her efforts, there was nothing left to hint at the building's original purpose. 

When Samantha died, the orphanage fell under the management of Fairia Adelista, a long time friend and employee of hers, and the workforce steadily grew in the years following. 

As her comanager, Fairia hired Dr. Walter Bartley. Under him were the two head councilors who actually interacted with the children. Yue Mèng- or just Yue- worked as an actual councilor whom the children would come to for advice and support, while Raymond Costa, her second cousin, was in charge of handling adoptions. Then there was the rest of the staff.

Yumi Bombers dealt with the more troublesome kids, and it didn’t take long for her very name to become an effective threat against the naughty ones. 

Tabasa McNeil looked after the little kids- the babies and toddlers who were too young to do anything for themselves. He also took care of the more messier aspects of that, too, like potty-training and teaching them how to eat properly. It was a running joke among the other adults that he must've been a zookeeper in his last life, to be able to handle those "wild animals". 

Dr. Kantera Ryuuzen worked as the nurse. Though his medicines were herbal, they were just as effective as store-bought, non-herbal drugs. His carefree attitude was a comfort to many, even though his incredibly formal speech was a bit...unusual. 

Saxon Myer handled the rosters and records. He kept track of all incoming children, as well as those who'd been adopted, noting their names as well as their medical and educational records, updating them when necessary. 

Mireille Nif was technically the janitor, though when she had the time, she'd help Saxon sort out the files. It was no secret that she fancied the older man, but in respect to her privacy, no one ever mentioned it, though there was a betting pool going on over when she'd actually confess her feelings. 

Dogma Toscarina was technically a priest. He ran the tiny chapel and encouraged confessions, but he rarely if ever led actual sermons, believing that God cared more about one's actions than the words they spoke and/or listened to. Dogma was also in charge of reading and mathematics lessons for the younger children in the mornings- from ten to noon, give or take half an hour- leaving his younger sister Cody to teach the older ones from 2 to 4 in the afternoon. 

Cody, as said before, was Dogma's younger sister. She was the groundskeeper, and took pride in her work, though she also enjoyed teaching the kids, too. "It's like gardening," she said once, "The mind is the seed. With the right nutrients, and a good amount of love and care, that mind will grow into something beautiful." 

Finally, there was the cook, chef Reitman. Reitman was a good man, the kind who somehow never took offense to anything, with a cheery disposition and an equally cheerful daughter. Because he was a single father and couldn’t- or wouldn’t- afford a babysitter for little Gardenia, his daughter spent a lot of time at the orphanage, playing with the younger kids and helping her father cook the vegetables Cody would provide from the garden. 

Besides Gardenia and the little kids under Tabasa's care- who were always more likely to be adopted than the older kids, since the beginning- there were two other kids; twins, born in a prison shortly before their mother, a truly deranged maniac with a huge list of crimes under her belt, was put to death via lethal injection. 

The older twin was a girl named Tabitha. She was loud and violent, and Gardenia wasn’t sure she really liked her much. The younger twin was a boy named Dale. He was very quiet around the adults, but wasn’t shy about his dislike of Gardenia and her sunny disposition. There was also a shoebox full of dead things beneath his bed, but after the violent tantrum he threw over it when Mireille tried to talk about it, it was left alone. 

At Happy Dream, people looking to adopt didn’t have much of a say over which child they'd end up with. Children were only placed with adults who they themselves felt comfortable around. For that matter, when someone came looking to adopt, children were not herded out into the main room to be picked off like cattle. The incoming adult would list their specifications and then be given the files of each child matching that criteria. Then, once they'd chosen a specific child, they'd spend a full day and night interacting with and looking over him or her, and then the next morning, that child would, in some form, indicate whether or not they were comfortable with them. If they were, then that child would be adopted. If they weren't...well...they weren't, and that'd be the end of it. 

Because it was a long process, and an interactive one at that, the caretakers were quite used to people scheduling appointments to adopt. However, they were very unused to appointments to drop off a child. 

Of course, Happy Dream would still accept them no matter what- the entire point was for parentless children to be granted a happy lifestyle even if the rest of the world was against them- but even so, for an appointment to be made- for a parent to abandon their child in such a planned and deliberate way...

Saxon pitied whatever life the child- or the... _children_? He wasn’t quite sure- had led before this. 

_Russell Seager..._

The man sighed as he looked through the boy's file, composed of his birth certificate- along with the certificate of his stillborn twin Mikkoku-, his education records, his medical records, and a list of things his former parents had 'warned' him about. 

For no apparent reason, Russell would spontaneously start crying, claiming he'd killed someone. He'd go on about Nightmares- black wispy entities with three eyes lined vertically along their bodies with two beside each other on their faces, or so they were depicted in the drawing Yue sent over- and guilt, speaking as if it were a tangible, measurable thing rather than a mere concept. 

Russell would often stare into space alot. If asked what he was looking at, he'd only answer, shortly and softly, "Mikkoku".   
Yue sent over a drawing of him, too, along with the Nightmare she had Russell draw. 

Mikkoku had short blond hair and green eyes. He looked familiar somehow, but Saxon was sure he'd never seen that face before. 

At first, Mr. and Mrs. Seager thought their son might be a medium, believing he was interacting with the ghost of his twin- that would explain the second certificate, then- but this theory was later discarded as, when asked, Russell said, very simply, that Mikkoku was older than him- older than his parents, too. So, Russell might have been Schizophrenic, and that may or may not be why he was going to be placed under their care. 

That was fine. They could work with that.

Gardenia would probably try to befriend him- and Mikkoku and maybe the Nightmares. As for the twins... 

Saxon scratched under his chin and rolled his office chair away from the desk. 

The Dreamer twins could potentially worsen things. But they'd just cross that bridge when they came to it. 


	3. New Arrival...

The orphanage was a large, brightly colored spot against the gloomy, overcast sky.

Somehow, even just looking up at the large building made Russell feel warm inside.

A feather light touch on his shoulder drew his attention to the older, slightly taller boy beside him.

The boy who called himself Mikkoku.

"Are you seriously  _still_ worried about them?"

Russell didn’t bother responding. Mikkoku knew everything about him, after all- every telltale sign of worry or anxiety, everything that scared him, and everything that could possibly sadden him, everything that could possibly happen as a result of even the most trivial decisions, even though as far as Russell knew, he'd only known him for the ten years of his life thus far.

The answer to his question, then, required no speech on his part.

Mikkoku ruffled his hair, his not entirely physical presence like a light breeze.

"You worry too much. They can only see me if I _let_ them- and I _won't_ because I want you to be the only one who _can_. So we'll be fine here."

And he knew he was successful in reassuring Russell by the ever so slight relaxing of his bony shoulders.

Before either of them could say anything else, the door of the orphanage- there wasn’t a gate or anything of the sort to discourage visitors- swung open, and two men walked out. The first was a black haired man in a brown uniform. The second was a man with salt and pepper hair, dressed in a crisp blue suit with a red ascot.

Russell recognized them from his dreams- the ones Mikkoku said were memories of a past life- as Raymond and mayor Saxon respectively. Something flashed in their eyes, and they looked at each other as if they were communicating telepathically- and remembering Dreamsend Inc., it probably wasn't out of the realm of possibilities.

Raymond was the first to break the uncomfortable silence.

"You're...Russell Seager, right?"

Russell nodded his head.  
"Please, come on in, then." Raymond said after a moment.

It seemed he was trying to brush it off. That suited Russell just fine. 

Saxon held the door open as Russell followed Raymond inside the building.

The inside was just as colorful as outside, though not quite as brightly. The walls of the foyer were a calming lavender with white birds along the tops. The floor was wooden, but the carpet was a sky blue. There was a cozy looking oak-colored arm chair, and a matching loveseat to both the left and right of it, and an out of place pink sofa across from it. There was a tall lamp in every corner, with yellow shades on each one, and low bookshelves full of picture books and novels beside the ones farthest from the door.

A small hallway from the left led to the dining room, where there was a single long table made of pine wood, with three chairs on either side, and one at both ends. The walls were almost a cream color, but were really more of a pale yellow ochre. At the back wall was a white set of double doors leading into the kitchen.

Another hallway branching off the right side of the foyer held the babies’ and toddlers' rooms to the left-hand side, with Tabasa's- their caretaker's- office at the end. On the right hand side was a single large room- the archives, according to Saxon. The walls of this hallway were a dark blue with yellow stars painted on in random places.

Directly across from the entrance, to the north side of the foyer was a staircase leading up to what Russell assumed was a living room, or else an entertainment center (Raymond, who'd been giving him this tour and who'd been dutiful in naming each room to him, didn’t seem too sure what to call it). The walls were a forest green with flowers of all colors painted here and there. A large dark red carpet covered most of the floor, and on top of it were two black leather couches sat beside each other. They faced a large flat-screen TV hung up on the wall, with a couple video game consoles right in front of it. There were some game cases haphazardly stacked on top of each other to the left of the TV, and more in a cabinet in the left-hand corner with a glass door.

Left from the staircase, above the dining room was a library full of various books, from strategy guides to dictionaries to storybooks to novels. There were even some textbooks. The room at the back, above the kitchen, was the schoolroom. It had three rows and four columns of desks all facing a whiteboard and podium. Wrapped around the light peach-colored walls were large animal stickers with letters of the alphabet printed on them. Between "Aa" and "Zz" was a relatively large wall clock.

Right from the game/living room were rooms for the older children (four on the left-hand side) and the offices/bedrooms for the other staff members (sans Fairia and Walter, who didn’t spend 24/7 at the orphanage), with Raymond's being at the very end of the hall.

Raymond ended the tour by showing Russell to his room and politely asking him to unpack his few belongings and then, if he felt up to it, to meet the other kids. Once he and Saxon- who'd been so quiet Russel'd almost forgotten he was there at all- had his nod of approval, they disappeared- Raymond into his office around the corner, and Saxon down to the archives.

"Well. Don't they seem nice?" Mikkoku asked sardonically, fading into Russell's sight as he began unpacking his tiny suitcase.

Russell nodded his head, a ghost of a smile playing at his lips.

"Yes....they seem very...warm."

 


	4. Gardenia

Russell had exactly two sets of clothes hung up neatly in the wardrobe, and a copy of _The Guide-Selling Old Lady_ he'd left on his nightstand. 

The room looked warm and inviting. The walls were a dark turquoise and the carpet was dark indigo. The bed was a twin sized mattress on an oaken frame, with a sky blue skirt, a lavender comforter, and a thick, frost-covered blanket. There were three pillows lying propped against the headboard, all a navy blue. The bed itself was just beneath a window with indigo curtains. To the right-hand side of the bed, in the corner across from the wardrobe, was a desk painted white, with three drawers going down the left side of it, leaving a matching chair to occupy the entire right half of it. 

It was almost surreal, knowing that all of this would be his, even if it was only till someone adopted him. 

"Are you going to greet the others?" Mikkoku asked after a moment of Russell staring around the room in awe. The blond shook himself out of his stupor. 

"Yeah...I suppose I should, huh? Are you going to let them see you?" 

Mikkoku hummed contemplatively. 

"Perhaps. But only to the ones I like." 

"That's fine." 

Russell left his room, closing the door with a soft click, and turned to the room beside his. There was a hand drawn sign hanging from the door.

_Gardenia..._

That name, like just about every other he'd heard that day, struck a chord in his heart.   
He swallowed down the lump in his throat and forced himself to knock on the door. 

"Come iiin!" A cheerful voice rang out.

Russell opened the door slowly and took a few tentative steps inside.   
"Excuse me..."   
"Oh! Hi Russell! I have some...wait a sec..."   
The silver-haired girl turned so she was looking at him. 

"Russell..? Ah...sorry, I don't know what that was- I don't think I know anyone named 'Russell'. Although..." she stepped closer, "you do look pretty familiar..." 

Russell didn’t allow himself to smile just yet. 

"...My name is Russell." 

"Oh!" She was silent for a moment. "Well then, I guess...I do know someone named Russell after all...haha..."

Russell took this small window of opportunity to look around the room. Where his room was turquoise, this one was a light butter yellow. Where his was lavender, hers was sunflower. Where his was indigo, hers were orange. Where his was white, hers was off-white. The placement of everything mirrored his own floorplan, and there were more personal belongings, too. 

"Anyways," the girl said, regaining Russell's attention, "I'm Gardenia! I live here with my papa, who cooks all kinds of yummy meals for everyone here every day!"

"Oh...it's nice to meet you..." Russell said softly. 

Gardenia giggled, and he suddenly felt better- as if all his worries had disappeared.   
And then, she abruptly cut herself off.

"Hey, you're probably wondering about the other kids here, right? Weeellll...." she leaned forward, as if she were telling him a very personal secret. 

"Besides us, there's only a pair of twins. Tabitha and Dale are their names, but..." she stepped closer to him and continued in an almost conspiratorial tone, "if I were you, I'd stay away from them." 

"Why's that?" Russell dared to ask. 

"Weellll...I guess Tabitha's... _okay_ , but she's really loud and bossy, and is never nice to the little kids like me and Tabasa are! And Dale is always mean to me, too- but I don't understand why cause I never did anything to him! And when he's not being mean, he's being really quiet- the scary kind of quiet, like a villain in a movie! And he likes to hurt animals- I heard Ms. Nif say that he even has a box _full_ of poor little dead animals that he killed himself hiding under his bed!" 

"I see..." though for all he knew, Gardenia's rambling could just be her being dramatic, as she often was in _that_ dream. 

"...bye, then." Russell eventually said, making a note to himself to visit these twins. 

"Bye-byyeee Russell! See you at dinner!"   
With a nod, Russell left the room and looked to the one next to it. There was no hand drawn sign on the door; just a generic white sticker reading "Tabitha Dreamer" in Times New Roman font.

That door made him uneasy, but he couldn’t quite place why. Maybe it was just because of what Gardenia was saying...

 


	5. Strategum

Deciding he'd be better off waiting till dinner to meet the twins, Russell went into the library to see just what books were there.   
There wasn't a librarian, or even a desk for one. Just four simple wooden tables with two chairs on either side, and walls lined with bookshelves. 

Russell ran a hand reverently against the spines, well aware of Mikkoku hovering, in a literal sense, over his shoulder. 

Mikkoku huffed, and Russell smiled faintly. 

"Why do you even _bother_ with those books, Russell? I can give you _so much more_ information, you know." 

"...I suppose...you could call it a force of habit." 

Another huff. 

"A habit I _don't know about_? Russell, you _wound_ me!" 

"I just...I like being able to double check. Just in case." 

Mikkoku's elbows settled on Russell's shoulders like two balls of paper. 

"Like I'd _ever_ lie to you."

Russell raised his hand at an awkward angle to touch Mikkoku's cheek. It was cold, and he could only barely feel the resistance of it against his hand. 

"...I don't mean to hurt your feelings, Mikkoku." 

The phantom sighed airily. "I know you don't, Russell. I just don't like seeing you rely on something else for information when I'm _right here_. Surely you understand that feeling of neglect, right?" 

Russell nodded his head, then turned so he could properly see his friend's face.   
Those green eyes that were always calculating, always watching, were somehow darker. 

"Because I am part of you...I don't ever want you to abandon me for something else. Got it?" 

Russell nodded again. 

"Good. Now then," Mikkoku bounced back to his normal, ironically optimistic self so quickly it gave them both whiplash, "why don't we check out the video game console? I bet a place like this has _all kinds_ of cool games!" 

"Ah...okay..." Russell nodded, forcing down his reluctance. He still wanted to read something, but he owed Mikkoku at least this much for hurting his feelings. 

He made to open door, but just as he put his hand on the knob, it twisted. Russell stepped back before he could get hit by the door, which opened to reveal a brunet man dressed like a priest. He even wore a cross around his neck. 

They stared at each other for a moment before the man- Dogma, if Russell remembered correctly- tipped his head. 

"Hello, Russell. What brings you here today? You never struck me as one who especially enjoyed literature." 

Before Russell could answer, Dogma seemed to realize he'd said something that could be potentially offensive, and hastened to correct his social faux pas. 

"Of course, that isn't to say you're not intelligent or a delinquent! I...err, I apologize for stereotyping and judging you based on your appearance! Good day!" 

He brushed passed Russell in a swish of black cloth, and the boy was reminded of how stern and strict the man had been in their past lives. 

_Come to think of it, Gardenia was just as cheerful now as she was back then, too. Does that mean everyone will be how I remember them? If they really are the same people I killed, then..._

He hung his head and walked out of the room. Suddenly video games sounded fun right now. 

* * *

Russell and Mikkoku looked through the cabinet full of game discs and cartridges, coming across a few Russell knew- _The Hyrule Fantasy: The Legend of Zelda_ , _Super Mario Bros._ , _Mother_ \- and a few he didn’t recognize, but that Mikkoku apparently did (" _The Guide Selling Old Lady_!? Haven’t played this in ages! Ah! And _Ruins Of the Wise One_ , too!? How'd they even _get_ these!?"). 

They ended up playing _The Guide Selling Old Lady_ , which was much harder than the title would lead one to believe. It wasn’t as bad as it could’ve been, though, since Mikkoku read aloud from the strategy guide ("and they even have the strategy guides!? This place must be _very_ well-funded!") while Russell played. Sometimes, he swore Mikkoku enjoyed reading the guides more than playing the games they were for, but he wouldn't judge. It was rare to see him so excited over something- and for a boy who loved video games more than books, this ancient game must have been pretty exciting. 

So Russell played, following Mikkoku's directions to the letter, and they were probably about halfway through the game when Gardenia came up the stairs. Funny. Russell hadn't even noticed her leave her room. Oh well. 

"Dinner's ready- OOOH! Are you playing _The Guide Selling Old Lady_? I haven’t played that since I was little!" She plopped down on Russell's right side. "I wasn’t able to get past the second boss, so eventually I just gave up." 

Russell hummed. 

"The second boss has fire immunity, so you'd have to use ice against it. But rosary works, too, since it's also a dark entity," he commented, "so using both is...especially effective." He looked at the strategy guide to his left, and even though Gardenia didn’t see his hand move, it must've just been bad angling on her part, because the page turned as it should.  

"...you must not've had the strategy guide with you, huh?" He asked. She shook her head, her ponytail swishing a bit. "Nope. But anyway, it's time to eat! C'mon- papa even baked a cake to celebrate you joining us!" 

Russell paused the game as Gardenia stood up. Mikkoku closed the strategy guide with a frown and a reluctant whine. Russell stood up and shrugged, and they both followed Gardenia down to the dining room. 


	6. Festivities

By the time Gardenia and Russell entered the dining room, there were two seats left.

Kantera sat at the head of the table, a serene smile on his face. Dogma sat to his left and Cody to his right, while Yumi sat at the other end across from the doctor. Beside Dogma was a girl with long blonde hair braided down her back. Her eyes were like zircon- like Russell's. Across from her was a boy with black hair neatly trimmed in such a way that his bangs hung just above his eyes. 

These two were familiar, but Russell couldn’t quite remember who they were.

Even though he knew they must have been Dale and Tabitha, somehow, he _recognized_ them, in the same way Dogma and Gardenia had recognized him- he knew them, but not what impact they might've left in his last life.

Even so, Dale radiated an aura that made him wary. Tabitha did, too, but it wasn't the same borderline murderous air as her brother's. Hers was more snake-like- the air of a cunning predator who'd readily eat him if only he let his guard down. 

And yet...she felt safer than Dale, so Russell took a chance and sat in the seat beside her, attempting to smile as Gardenia shrugged and took the seat across from him, beside Dale, who'd apparently chosen to ignore her. 

Cautiously, Russell looked up at Tabitha, who was a good deal taller than him, and was a tiny bit surprised to catch her staring down at him, her hands folded neatly in her lap. Something flashed in her eyes, and something else that might've been a faint smirk appeared on her face for a split second. 

He blinked first, and just like that, the spell was broken. Tabitha returned her gaze to her empty plate just as the kitchen doors whooshed open. 

Mr. Reitman, a portly man with silver hair and a red nose, pushed a cart laden with food into the room. 

Yumi clinked her spoon against her empty glass, and everyone turned to face her. 

"Now, as we all here know, today's a special day. Anyone know why?" 

Suddenly Russell found all eyes on him, and he fidgeted slightly as she went on. 

"Today, we get to welcome a new member of our teeny, disjointed family. So!" She gave Russell a grin, and he noted absently that Mikkoku had given her his attention, too, when before he'd been glowering at every other occupant in the room. 

"Welcome to Happy Dream, Russell!" 

"Ah...thank you, all..." Russell forced out, feeling the need to be polite even though he didn’t really feel like talking. 

Cody smiled and nodded, and nothing more needed to be said as Mr. Reitman began placing large dishes of food around the table. 

There were bowls of salad, potatoes, and large dinner plates holding various meats and seafood. There were also two large pitchers full of ice water, one at either end of the table.

By the time everything was set, there was just barely enough room for anyone to serve themselves without sticking their elbow in something. It reminded Russell somewhat of the first and only Thanksgiving dinner he'd attended at his grandparents' house, but without the squabbling relatives. 

"Gardenia, would you kindly pass over that bowl of carrot salad?"

Gardenia reached and lifted the bowl of salad above her head, and then a little to her left. Cody took it, and then passed it to Kantera, who stretched his own arms and took it from her with practiced ease. 

"Hey, where's Tabasa?" Cody asked. 

"I think he went to bed early after gettin' the little'uns settled. Why'd ya ask?"

"Just curious." She shrugged her shoulders. Russell raised a brow.

That explained Tabasa's absence, but what about Mireille and Saxon? 

"Saxon's anemic," he heard Mikkoku whisper into his right ear, "so he's eating in his office. Mireille's probably there, too, obsessing over him like always." 

Oh. Okay then. That made sense. 

Russell rolled his shoulders and returned his focus to his food. The salad was crisp and dressed just the right amount, and the meat was boneless and lean. It tasted delicious- better than anything he remembered eating- and he wondered if Gardenia's father was always this good of a chef, or if he was trying extra hard since today was special. 

He caught Tabitha staring at him twice more in the time it took him to finish eating, and though he _felt_ Dale's eyes on him, he wasn't entirely sure if the boy was _actually_ staring at him. 

Regardless, it was somewhat unnerving, and motivated Russell to eat just that little bit quicker. 

And then, once everyone was done eating dinner, Mr. Reitman wheeled out a large cake. It was two layers of chocolate cake frosted with homemade chocolate frosting, and topped with milk, dark, and white curls of chocolate.

Though he'd be hard pressed to actually admit it, Russell loved chocolate (especially dark)- partially because of how rare it was to get any at home, but also because of the benefits (there was a reason he was good at doing things last minute, after all). 

Naturally, such a delicious looking cake made his mouth water- though he had the sense, at least, to keep said mouth closed so he wouldn’t drool on himself. 

Kantera was the one to cut the cake- since, as a doctor, he was the best person besides Mr. Reitman to be using a knife- and Cody and Dogma passed the slices down. They were very generous slices, too- the cake itself being enough to feed well over eight people. 

Russell found himself oddly surprised that neither Tabitha nor Dale really did anything besides stare at him (though that could've just been because there were adults at the table with them) as he tucked into his cake. 


	7. Emotions That Go Hand In Hand

After dinner, Russell returned to his room, Mikkoku trailing behind him. He seemed...not exactly _upset_ but more...annoyed? Irritated? He couldn't put it into words if he tried. 

Russell was tempted to corner him and ask, but the other boy had a habit of quite literally disappearing when he got uncomfortable, and unfortunately, he was rarely ever comfortable when it came to talking about feelings (especially negative ones like jealousy and guilt) unless they were directed right at Russell. And that was fine. Really. 

He'd tell him on his own, eventually. 

With a satisfied smile on his face, Russell flopped down onto his bed and extended an arm out so his hand fell over the edge.

Mikkoku settled himself on the edge beside him, then took Russell's hand into his colder ones. In the heat of that region of the orphanage, the cold felt rather nice.   
"Your hand's pretty warm, Russell," Mikkoku said with a small smile. "It feels nice..." 

Russell closed his eyes. 

"Yeah...yours feel nice, too. Soothing." 

"Let's stay like this, at least for a little while." Mikkoku said softly. Russell nodded his head- for as much as it could be called a nod while he was on his back. 

"Sure." 

And then there was silence. Comfortable silence. Silence like the kind you'd expect in the middle of the night at a sleepover, after you'd just woken up from a nightmare of your friends dying, and were then reassured by the soft sounds of their breathing right beside you. That kind of silence. 

It was nice. 


	8. Breaking Fast

Russell woke up early, right as the sun was rising. It was quiet- so quiet he didn’t even know what had woken him. 

Chalking it up to his biological clock, he swung his legs out over the side of his bed and let his bare feet touch the cool wooden floor.   
"Morning, Russell," Mikkoku greeted, far too enthusiastic for this early in the morning, "you ready for the grownups to play dress-up with you?" He snickered, while Russell kept his face blank. 

"Sure," he answered noncommittally, going to his wardrobe before realizing that he had slept in the same clothes he'd worn yesterday. His lips tugged downward in a small frown as he reluctantly pulled on the same socks he'd worn the previous day, quickly following them up with his only pair of shoes. 

Mikkoku's mocking laughter followed him down to the dining room.

* * *

Raymond found Russell later that morning, helping Mr. Reitman prepare breakfast. The blond gave him a nod of acknowledgement as he set the table.   
"Mornin' kiddo," he greeted, taking his seat. Russell nodded as Mr. Reitman came out of the kitchen wheeling a large cart. 

The chef was a portly man with tufts of white hair peeking out of his hat and a big red nose on his face. Adding to his Santa-esque appearance, his blue eyes carried a permanent twinkle one would expect from a kindly grandfather. 

As Russell began helping him unload the cart, Raymond took in his scrawny figure- scrawny even for a twelve year old- and reckoned the clothes they'd buy today would have to be a size S, maybe even XS.   
But that could wait a little bit, he thought, hearing the faint echoes of Tabitha and Gardenia's usual morning squabble, followed by protests as someone- Dogma and Cody, most likely- broke it up. 

As if summoned by his thoughts, the adults walked in, Cody holding Gardenia's hand and Dogma dragging the twins by the scruffs of their necks. 

Russell looked at them quizzically while beside him, Mikkoku made a mocking expression. 

"I wonder what they did this time," he pondered, sounding completely unsurprised by this, as he looked to his blue eyed double.

"Aren't you curious, Russell?" 

"Not particularly..." he murmured. 

Raymond sighed as Cody and Gardenia took their seats. 

"What's today's issue?" He asked Dogma, his voice chipper as ever. 

Dogma gave an answering sigh, noticeably more aggrieved. 

"They were arguing over whether or not Russell was already awake- which he clearly is," he answered, looking pointedly at the twins as Russell set down a plate of crisp bacon. 

"I wanna sit next to him!" Tabitha exclaimed, ignoring Dogma except to struggle out of his hold. 

Gardenia frowned. 

"Why _you_? I met him first! _I_ should sit next to him!" She huffed and patted the chair to her left. "Russell! Come over here!" 

"That's enough from both of you," Dogma ordered, voice cold as Russell stared impassively at the scene playing out before him. 

The blond took a seat to Raymond's left-hand side and Tabitha renewed her struggle against the priest's hand. He tuned them out as he felt a presence at his left. 

"Do you mind if I take this seat?" came Kantera's smooth voice. Russell shook his head and shrugged his bony shoulders.   
"Thank you very much, Russell." 

There was the screech of wooden leg against wooden floor, and Tabitha and Gardenia looked over in Russell's direction. 

"No fair!" Tabitha glowered. 

"Aww..." Gardenia pouted in resigned acceptance. 

"Calm down, kids," Raymond said soothingly, "if none of you cause any more trouble today, you can come with me and Russell to buy clothes, capiche?" 

Tabitha huffed. "Fiiiine." 

Gardenia nodded her head quickly. Cody put a hand atop her crown to keep her from accidentally breaking her neck. 

"Right then," Raymond said, reaching for the bowl of scrambled eggs, "Let's eat!" 


End file.
